Into the Abyss
by DWTT
Summary: Donna and the Doctor believe their troubles are behind them, but they become more involved in the twisted plot of the Syndrome the more they try to escape the haunting events of Smoke and Mirrors.
1. The Eyes of the Forest

OH MY GOD IT'S BEEN SO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG :(

You have no idea how sorry I am that this took so long, and I thank everyone who waited patienty for this. From now on, I will be reffering to Smoke and Mirrors as 'SaM' and Into the Abyss as 'ItA' as they are so much shorter and easier.

I know... Short chapter is short, but I will make up for it later. Promise :D

Anyway, Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.

ENJOY!

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"How is she?" He smiled wistfully. "She missed me,"  
"Everyone did," he winced, and she realised she'd said the wrong thing. "I mean-"  
"Donna, it's fine," she nodded, trying to tell herself that. "We need to get you another suit," she said, trying to lighten up the conversation, her eyes scanning what was visible of his body. Unlike the normal pinstripe suit, he was wearing a black ACDC t-shirt and faded jeans that she believed used to belong to an uncle of hers or something. The TARDIS key hung from his neck, swaying as he ate his breakfast. He glanced up from his cereal as she examined him critically, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Considering what had happened to the last one, she hoped the next suit's demise wasn't quite so… Bloody. Images flooded her mind of the Doctor covered in gashes oozing blood onto the grate beneath him and Delilah's wicked laughter filled the air. That hadn't happened, she scolded herself. But the Incident had… "Are you staring at me for a reason?" She blinked, realising she'd drifted off again. "Not really," he rolled his eyes and kept eating.

She never really wanted him to know how much both The Incident and their capture affected her. James, Delilah and the Twins filled her nightmares, and in almost every one she was too late. The Doctor had died because she hadn't got to him fast enough. She turned away from him to stare out the window, pushing the haunting dreams away. Unfortunately for her, the Doctor had agreed to seeing a psychiatrist, and because of her new-found protectiveness of him and distrust to practically everyone, she was forced to go back to Theodora Bozella and not walk out this time. _Why _did he have to choose _her? _Theodora had gotten on her nerves so easily last time, how was this going to be any different? She wasn't going to apologize for what she did. It wasn't her fault she asked stupid questions.

Her train of thought stopped at 'PTSD'. Did she really have it? Harry and Grace both claimed it was highly possible, and they were her doctors. She sighed and got to her feet, ignoring her already untouched breakfast and heading into the living room to think. The Doctor thankfully didn't follow her as she headed past the TARDIS, who he ended up parking in the middle of the house. Sylvia hadn't quite agreed with the idea, so the Doctor had said he'd move it into the guest bedroom later that day.

Instead of heading onto the couch as she had intended, she opened the TARDIS doors and headed inside. It was cooler inside the TARDIS than in the house, but it warmed up slightly when she entered. Donna ran her hand along the railing and then leaned on the console. "It's been a while since we travelled somewhere hasn't it?" Why was she talking to the machine? "Are you alright?" She turned slightly, to see the Doctor leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. He was trying to appear casual, but was clearly worried. It had been a long time since she'd walked into the TARDIS.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" He didn't look convinced, and she had to look away from his intense stare. "Do you want to go somewhere?" Yes. "I don't know, it's been a while since we went somewhere,"  
"Then why don't we go somewhen?"  
"I…" He smiled slightly. "Come on, I need to take her for a spin anyway!" His enthusiasm was a bit forced, but Donna didn't voice her thoughts as he closed the doors and dashed over to the console. She was shocked when, right before starting to pilot the Time Machine, he froze, hands hovering over the controls. "Doctor?" No response. She approached him cautiously, wondering what had caused him to stop moving. "Doctor?"  
"You said someone wrote you a note,"  
"Yes, is that important?" He didn't answer. Instead he ran off down a corridor and returned a few minutes later with a pen, paper and an envelope. She recognised the deep, rich blue. "_You _wrote it!" She exclaimed in sudden realisation, he glanced at her and removed the pen lid with his teeth. "What did it say?" He mumbled around it. "Umm, 'wait for UNIT'." He nodded and started writing, but then changed his mind and threw the paper away, drawing a new piece from his pocket. "I'll write it in code in case someone intercepts it," he explained as he wrote. He then put the cap back on the pen, put the letter in the envelope and sealed it. He grinned. "To the Noble Residence!"

Now that Donna knew where who she'd gotten the letter from –even though she had suspected the Doctor from the start – she felt more at ease. She'd been wondering ever since she received it who had sent it, even though the blue kind of gave it away. She didn't need to take him shopping now. He just went into the TARDIS wardrobe, which was bigger than her whole house, and found another suit. He looked much more like himself with it on. He twirled in front of the mirror and then winked at his reflection. "Please don't do that." He laughed and then took her hand, dragging her back into the control room. "Let's go somewhere!"  
"Why?"  
"Do we need a reason? I feel trapped in this place, I need to go to somewhere, somewhen with lots of nature, or I'll develop Claustrophobia," Donna rolled her eyes and leaned on the console as he flicked switches and pulled leavers.

The TARDIS rocked as he dashed around. He suddenly stopped in front of her, and she knew what he wanted, but she didn't move. "Can you please move?"  
"Nope, you'll have to go around Martian boy." He frowned, sighed dramatically, and made taking a step to the left a big effort. The TARDIS steadied itself once he got to the lever behind her. "What about… Raxacoricofallapatorius?"  
"Raxi-who-now?"  
"Raxacoricofallapatorius!" He fiddled with some levers and the TARDIS swayed as he put in new coordinates. "Didn't you want to go someplace relaxing? Raxicafeporas doesn't sound very relaxing." Donna muttered. The Doctor pouted. "Fine, where do you want to go?"  
"Because I have extensive knowledge on relaxing planets and everything. You choose,"  
"But… I know, I'll set the coordinates to random and see where she takes us? How's that sound old girl." He was clearly talking to the TARDIS.

Why he talked to it in the first place confused Donna. It was just a machine wasn't it? "Are you coming?" She blinked and turned to face the Doctor. He was standing by the doors, his hands on the handles, waiting impatiently for her to follow. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming," she replied as she headed along the walkway and followed him out the doors. What lay beyond was a forest. Everything was green, even the tree bark was covered in moss. A layer of frost turned everything a lighter shade and snow crunched under her feet. The TARDIS stood out, a bright blue in a sea of green. It looked magical, and she almost wished she'd taken her phone so she could have gotten a photograph. It looked like Christmas. A strange, small, colourful bird landed on the TARDIS light and started pecking at it. She watched as it gazed at her with too intelligent eyes.

It was eerie, like it understood what she was. It opened its little beak and she expected to hear a sweet bird song, but instead it sounded like someone screaming. She shuddered and turned away. The Doctor was pointing things out and talking, but she wasn't listening. It suddenly felt like the forest was watching her. Like it was tracking her every move. "Ok, the Martian Forest is creepy,"  
"We're not on Mars,"  
"I know." The Doctor glanced quizzically at her and then kept walking. "Why do you think it's creepy?" He asked, walking closer to her. They were almost touching arms. Was he trying to console her? He seemed perfectly at ease, hands in pockets, stride confident. "I feel like it's watching me,"  
"That's because it is." Donna stopped, stepping on a twig as she did. The snap reverberated off the trees, growing louder as it did. Everything seemed to go silent. "What?"  
"Everything on this world is not as it seems. The snow never melts, the trees have eyes, the birds are nowhere near harmless,"  
"I thought you said we're going somewhere relaxing,"  
"We are, we're just not there yet." Donna opened her mouth to argue, but he continued anyway. "Don't worry, I know where I'm going,"  
"I thought you couldn't remember everything." The Doctor winced. "I can't… But I don't remember nothing." His voice had grown a steely edge.

He turned away from her again. "Watch your step." He muttered before continuing, stepping over roots and plants and ducking under stray branches. Donna felt like sighing, but it probably would do no one any good, so she just followed him warily. She stumbled often and fell over at one point, but the Doctor caught her before she could impale herself on something, so he wasn't angry at her or anything. He reminded her to watch herself, and then told her that the forest moved. "It what?"  
"It is constantly moving, changing. It's why you're stumbling around so much. You really have to watch where you're going; otherwise you're going to hurt yourself,"  
"How can a forest move?"  
"The trees are living creatures; they have lungs and hearts and eyes and watch and know everything. They probably know you've never been here before and are having some fun,"  
"You call that fun?" He just smiled and kept walking.

She resisted the urge to slap him and followed again. She now did as she was told, and watch where she was placing her feet. It felt like it she'd been walking for hours. Neither had spoken in the time, concentrating on where they were walking. "Why couldn't we have parked the TARDIS somewhere closer?" Donna asked irritably. "Because the forest is getting more dense, we'd have no room to park." She gazed around and realised he was right. The branches were scratching at her clothes and catching her hair. She wondered whether it was just the branches or whether the trees were moving them around so they'd get in her path.

Donna was about to ask whether they could take a break when the Doctor spun around. He waited for her to catch up and then smiled again. She could hear the gush of running water, and a crimson butterfly the size of a dinner plate fluttered past. It had menacing eye patterns on its wings. "Close your eyes," the Doctor instructed. She did so and felt the pressure of his hands covering her eyes. "Oi!"  
"It's so I make sure you're not peeking." She frowned as he pushed her forward and started guiding her through the forest. After a few minutes she felt dirt beneath her feet. A path? It felt like it. There were very few roots and it was a flat, winding surface. It sloped downwards sharply and she almost fell over again. The dirt disappeared and she felt grass under her feet. The Doctor stopped her and remained with his hands over her eyes for a few seconds. "You ready?"  
"Yeah." He took his hands away.


	2. Never as it Seems

Donna gasped at the sight before her. A spring of clear, sparkling water broke the mass of trees before her. The clearing was sunken, walls of trees surrounding her on all four. A single, twisting dirt path lead back into the gloom of the forest. Branching off from the spring was a small stream that flowed past. There was lush, emerald grass everywhere. Dragonflies half the size of her were flitting around, as well as some more butterflies. The place was magical. "Ta-da!" She took a step forward, and the cool water wrapped around her feet, flowing around her ankles. "What do you think?"  
"It's amazing,"  
"I know." The Doctor grinned and lay in the grass beside the stream.

He plucked some kind of water reed from the streambed and started chewing on it absentmindedly, arms behind his head, legs crossed. He had never looked more relaxed. "I used to come here whenever I could." He said unexpectedly, motioning at the surrounding clearing. "Until?"  
"… I don't know, I can't remember,"  
"Well, I'm you will eventually." He didn't reply, he just stared at the heavens above. The sky wasn't quite blue, but a strange purplish colour that Donna had never seen before. The clouds weren't white either, but a deep ebony that contrasted against all the greens and the vast purple sky. She wondered over and lay beside him.

She felt as if she could just lie there forever. "It's so peaceful,"  
"I told you I was taking you somewhere relaxing remember?"  
"But it feels… Unnatural,"  
"Ah, yes, that's the atmosphere. It's different from Earth's, during the day, it makes you feel sleepy, but during the night you feel wide awake." Donna nodded in acknowledgement and closed her eyes. Another bird screamed far off and she tried not to picture someone running through the forest, fleeing from an invisible enemy.

Her thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous few months, and she turned away from the Doctor's peaceful face to try and calm her thoughts. That was all over now. They could relax. "Donna?"  
"Yes?"  
"How long as it been?" She decided to play clueless. "I don't know what you mean,"  
"Yes you do." She sighed. "It's been almost four months since you first woke up,"  
"Oh…" He sounded unhappy. "You Ok?"  
"Yeah, it's just... Am I gonna remember everything, or am I always going to have these blank patches?"  
"You remember what Harry said,"  
"I know, I know. I just don 't like it." Donna sidled closer to him. "Don't worry, just talk to me about it and you'll feel better." He stared at the sky some more before turning to face her, pushing himself up on one elbow. "Tell you everything?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Well, I can't remember anything about what you call 'the Incident'…"

It was long past sundown before the Doctor had told Donna everything. He told her about how he remembered the flowers on the bedside table changing and that it was always raining. He told her about his first proper memory from after he had awoken. "I remember waking up in a hospital, but the room was different. It hurt. Everywhere." Was this when he awoke after being tortured? "I couldn't breathe." She hadn't been told that bit. "All these people in white came in, I didn't know who or what they were or what they wanted at the time. I know now they were doctors." He made a face, as if he'd eaten something sour. "Don't you like doctors?"  
"I like Harry." Donna rolled her eyes. "That's beside the point." Instead of replying, he continued on from where he'd stopped. "They started sticking things to me. It made the pain worse."  
"Well, we can't give you painkillers,"  
"I know."

They remained quiet for a long while, the Doctor still chewing on the reed. "Do you remember anything after that?" Donna finally asked, the silence starting to make it feel as if the trees were closing in. They probably were. "Not really, it's all just a haze until a few days before you told me I'm an alien." Donna remembered that quite vividly. She'd been so surprised he didn't remember his own species. "I don't think you believed me,"  
"Well, at first I didn't. It would be like you having no memories at all and then having someone tell you that you really used to be a tomato until you were involved in a nuclear accident,"  
"What?"  
"That was the first thing I could come up with,"  
"That was horrible." He just shrugged and started drawing pictures in the air with a finger.

He drew the TARDIS, and then started making shapes she didn't recognize. "You used to draw shapes on the hospital windows,"  
"I did?"  
"Yeah. When it was raining the windows would fog up and you'd draw pictures. You drew the TARDIS mostly. Everything else was just blobs,"  
"Huh, I don't remember that,"  
"That's probably because it was right before the-… Actually, never mind." He stared at her quizzically. She didn't really feel like telling him he'd had a heart attack, even though she'd have to eventually.

He remained staring at her curiously for a long while, and she could feel the words dancing on her tongue, pushing on her teeth, trying to force her mouth open so they could escape. She swallowed, and imagined she was swallowing the terrifying words as well. Finally, he flopped onto his back again and closed his eyes. Even though Donna felt like doing the same, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, keeping them open. If the atmosphere itself wanted to make her fall asleep, how long would she sleep for? Glancing again at the Doctor, whose breathing had slowed as he fell asleep, she got to her feet and walked over to the stream. As she took off her shoes and laid them in the grass, she thought about the fact that she'd never seen him sleep before the Incident. He mustn't need to do it often. She dipped her toes into the icy water, feeling slippery moss beneath her feet. She wanted to go swimming, so she took off her jacket as well, sure that the Doctor wouldn't mind if she got her clothes wet. She hadn't plenty in the TARDIS anyway.

As she began to wander further into the spring, the water gradually got warmer until it was as hot as a bath. It had started getting cooler as evening approached, and she welcomed the warmth as she took a deep breath and ducked below the surface. What lay underneath was incredible. The moss wasn't green when underwater, but it was instead a deep blue. There was bright coral everywhere, and thousands of colourful fish. When she got closer, she realised they were in the shape of musical notes. She surfaced for air and went back down again. She tapped one and it emitted a high-pitched noise before squirting a jet of ink and speeding away. A Musical Squid-Fish? It even had tiny tentacles.

Something grabbed her shirt and pulled her out of the water. She went to kick it in the face, but then realised it was the Doctor. He dropped her unceremoniously onto the still-damp grass. She started shivering from the sudden cold. "Are you _trying _to kill yourself?"  
"I'm not-"  
"You look like a drowned rat,"  
"Nice, coming from the alien who just generally looks like a rat all the time." The Doctor glared at her, but the concern was clearly there. "You scared me half to death,"  
"I didn't know I was-" She couldn't finished the sentence. She must have swallowed some amount of water, because she started coughing it up.

Had she been drowning without realising it? "What happened?"  
"I should have warned you about that,"  
"About what?" The Doctor sat beside her. "The water is dangerous, it muddles your thought patterns, it tries to kill you,"  
"The water kills you?"  
"Yes." Donna took a shuddering breath and coughed some more. The Doctor took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "I think we should go back to the TARDIS,"  
"No, I'm fine,"  
"You practically drowned yourself,"  
"But there were Musical Squid-Fish,"  
"Ok, let's go." He took her arm, hauled to her feet and half-dragged, half-carried her all the way back to the TARDIS.

He sat her in front of a heater and vanished down a hallway somewhere, leaving her alone in the semi-dark room. It resembled a bedroom without the bed. The heater was placed underneath a window. She had an excellent view of a tree trunk. Although the heater was warm it didn't seem to be drying her clothes. She frowned, wanting to go back outside. The Doctor returned with a change of clothes and then disappeared again. She changed quickly and headed in what she thought was the direction of the control room. After a few minutes of wondering, she felt a strange vibrating from beneath her feet. She waited for it to pass before continuing on and eventually finding what she was searching for.

The Doctor was bent over the controls, examining something with intense concentration. "What are you looking at?" Donna asked. "I don't remember this being here." He replied as she gazed over his shoulder. It was some kind of high-tech knob. "What's it do?"  
"I'm not sure." He went to twist it, but Donna grabbed his hand to stop him. "I don't think that's the best idea." He shrugged and went back to piloting as she headed back into the hallway. She'd never really 'explored' the TARDIS before. There were sections that looked like they'd been taken right out of the eighteenth century, but most of it resembled the control room.

She stopped and examined the polished wooden door before her. It had intricately carved designs on it, as well as a plaque that said 'Library'. She didn't know the TARDIS had a library. She turned the brass, gold knob and the door creaked loudly as it swung open. What lay beyond was a massive room; she couldn't see where it ended. There were shelves everywhere; leaning with the weight of the books they held. The door closed by itself when she walked inside, and she was reminded of a corny horror movie. There were more windows in the library, which had just the same view as the bedroom-without-a-bed. After some walking, she found a clearing in the shelves. A large wooden table – also laden with books – sat surrounded by eight chairs. There was another door to her left. A deep, blue-black light was filtering through them and turning the pale carpet a frightening colour.

Her eyes were drawn to a blinking light on the table. A largish white cube sat on it, a blue ring on one face. The ring was the cause of the blinking. She tilted her head curiously and approached it, unsure of what it was. Was it dangerous? She cautiously picked it up and examined it. The ring was only on the one side. She pressed against the white circle within the ring, and it pushed inwards with a click. The blinking light turned red and there was a flash of blinding light.

Donna opened her eyes to see she was in an alley. How had she gotten there? She saw a strange light on the wall and went to touch it, only to realise it was being emitted from _her_. She was giving off light. She raised her hands to her face to see she looked like she was some kind of hologram. She turned around and saw the Doctor on the other side of the alley. He was slumped against the wall, and was gazing ahead unseeingly. What was going on? She took a step forward, but froze when she heard a voice she recognised. Neila. She held her breath as she seemingly materialized in front of her out of the dark. Surely she could see her.

She didn't seem to notice her glowing presence. James and the Twins appeared at the end of the alley and the Doctor recoiled, shocked back into reality. "Oh, hello!" He said in a forced cheery voice. Was she… Was she seeing the Incident being replayed? "Hello," James replied as Neila crept up behind him. "Look out, Doctor behind you!" Donna screamed. No one responded. They could neither see nor hear her. Neila leapt at him and stabbed a needle into his neck. He yelped and whirled around. James was grinning already.

He tried to back away from Neila, but James grabbed his arms and shoved him forward again. He was sent careering, and his head hit something she couldn't see. He dropped the ground and groaned, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees. She could see him shaking. A single droplet of blood fell onto the pale concrete, and Donna brought herself to her sense. What if she could help him? What if she could save him? She started to run forward, but found herself stopping again. What was her problem? It was as if she was being forced back.

James hauled the Doctor to his feet, and he struggled weakly, but he was sluggish and weak. She saw James pick up a brick, and she had to close her eyes as she heard a crack and a weak yell. The Doctor was back on his knees. James now had a knife. "James, I think he's had enough. I've given him a big enough dose,"  
"Shut up, you don't know anything!" Lité yelled back. He drew a gun and aimed it at her before shooting a dart into her side.

She collapsed instantly. The Doctor was trying to get to his feet, so James lashed out at him with the knife. Twice. He had grabbed his arm so he'd keep it still. Blood was everywhere. Kared shouldered James out of the way. "That won't do anything!" He snarled before taking the Doctor's still bleeding arm. Donna heard a heart-wrenching sob from the Doctor and then Kared wrenched and it was drowned out by a sickening crunch. She tried to turn away – she didn't want to watch this – but she couldn't. She couldn't stand there and watch, but she couldn't escape. The Doctor groaned again and then James raised the brick and hit him with as just as much force as before. He was clearly now unconscious, yet James pulled out a gun of his own. "Eat this you piece of-" His voice was drowned out by the bang.

As the terrifying sound echoed in her ears, the flashing ring appeared before her, so vivid she believed that if she reached out she'd touch it. It dulled back into a blue and there was another blinding flash before she blinked away the spots in her vision. She was back in the library. She dropped the white box with a choked scream and backed away. "Donna?" Came from what sounded like far away. Had he heard her? "Donna are you alright?" She ignored the Doctor and sat on a chair, trying to steady her frenzied breathing.

The door opened, and the Doctor walked in, looking concerned. He hurried over and knelt in front of her. "Donna, Donna what happened?" She closed her eyes and shook her head. Was she crying? She touched her cheek. It was wet under her fingers. She was. Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. "What the hell is that thing?" She asked, pointing an accusatory finger at the innocent white cube. The Doctor turned to look at it, and stiffened. "Where did you find that?"  
"What is it?" He picked it up and placed it back on the table before sighing and rubbing his eyes. "You pressed the button didn't you?"  
"_What is it!?" _He looked as if she'd slapped him. She certainly felt like slapping him.

He looked unsure for a few seconds. "It's called a Memory Bank, and is very advanced technology. It mentally connects with someone's mind and stores their memories. If you press the button it randomly picks a memory and shows it to you,"  
"Oh,"  
"What did you see?" She didn't reply again. Instead she pushed past him and headed outside. She needed some fresh air to try an process what she had seen. All four of the variously-sized blue, yellow, green, and red suns were setting. Donna hadn't even known a sun could be blue or green. The Doctor had told her that the red sun was dying, and would soon explode. He also told her it might engulf the planet and burn it to a crisp.

The sky was darkening, slowly turning to a strange shade of brown. She walked a few metres into the forest and sat against a tree, no longer caring if it picked her up and carried her away or something ridiculous like that. The branches creaked all around her as they warped and twisted. She could even see them getting closer. They looked like bony hands with menacing wooden claws, but she wasn't afraid. It was the water that killed. She reached out to one as it got close enough for her to feel every nook and cranny of its gnarled surface. It stopped moving as soon as she touched it, but after a few undecided minutes, continued approaching when she took her hand away.

She hadn't been told the trees were dangerous, so perhaps they were just curious. A race very similar to humans had once flourished on the planet, but they quickly died out. The birds and the water killed them. There would be many more animals at night if the air made you feel more awake. Predators would start searching for prey, and she was a juicy hunk of meat just waiting to be eaten. The tree was wrapping around her though. Perhaps it wanted to protect her? She leaned back and closed her eyes, listening to the various sounds of the living forest. Another Screamer-Bird sounded close by. She felt like screaming back, just to see its reaction.

She was about to fall asleep when something snapped right near her. Her eyes flew open and even the tree stopped moving. What was it? The Doctor, a dangerous animal, something completely harmless? She carefully, quietly turned slightly and peeked around the tree trunk to see a small cat. It looked like a tiger the size of a house cat. Its head snapped around and its fur bristled as she watched it. The usual roar of a Tiger came out of its tiny throat and she couldn't help but giggle. It was completely ridiculous. Its piercing, glow-in-the-dark eyes scanned her and then it roared again, starting towards her at a stalking pace.

Was it going to try to eat her? It didn't' get far, because a sudden swarm of the massive crimson butterflies descended upon it. It pawed and bit and roared at them, but they were clearly eating it. Donna turned away and swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Nothing was at it seemed. It's roars and hisses choked off with a gurgle and all that could be heard was the fluttering of the butterflies wings as they feasted on its now dead body. She knew she would never see butterflies in the same way ever again.

* * *

Unless you couldn't tell, this planet is highly inspired by Wonderland.  
Hope you enjoyed it!  
Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and all that shiz.

Wow, my grammar in this was horrible. I've corrected the mistakes though, so no need to worry :D


	3. We're Not Alone

A bit of a shorter chapter this time but I hope you guys like it anyway :D

* * *

She must have fallen asleep, because the Doctor woke her up and told her to return to the TARDIS. He looked very worried about something, but she didn't question as she walked dazedly back to the blue box. She could only remember flashes of butterflies and screams in her dream. She shuddered and sat on the only seat as the Doctor started flicking switches. "Are we going somewhere?"  
"Yes,"  
"I thought we came here to relax." He winced. "I know, but... Never mind. We're leaving." She didn't question him. Instead she watched him as he moved lithely around the console.

She didn't know where he was taking her, but she didn't ask. He didn't seem to mind the unusual silence. Had he seen something? Heard something? What could possibly shake him up so much? "Doctor." Donna started, taking his hand and leading him away from the controls. She sat him on the chair and put her hands on her hips. Her patience had run out. "What's wrong?" He stared at her for a few seconds before averting his eyes. "Nothing,"  
"Don't lie to me Martian boy,"  
"I'm not-" Donna's glare silenced him. "It's nothing for you to worry about Donna,"  
"Yes it is,"  
"_Why_?" He sounded irritated. The sudden show of aggression silenced Donna. She didn't know how to respond. He'd never really been angry at her. Only once, when they'd gotten into the argument that caused everything to begin with.

The Doctor glared at her silently as she processed the fact that he didn't want to talk to her. That he didn't want her around. "O-Ok then." She turned and started towards her room. She heard the Doctor get to his feet back in the console. "Donna, wait!" She ignored him and slammed the door shut behind her. If he didn't want her there then she'd spend the time in her room. Simple. She fought back the tears stinging her eyes. It was nothing to get emotional about. She wiped them away angrily and flopped onto her bed. There was a single, round window in her room that reminded her of portholes used on ships. She had the magnificent view of absolutely nothing. She could just see an endless blackness.

She didn't know how long she stayed in there, just staring at the ceiling, but when she _did _leave, the TARDIS was unusually dark. The lights were dimmed, the usually cheerful atmosphere dulled. Was something wrong? She found herself walking faster the closer she got to the control room. She ended up running, a strange, eerie feeling of foreboding settling into the pit of her stomach. When she finally reached the control room, she was panting in a cold sweat. She could feel herself shaking.

The control room was devoid of life, and also dimmed, like the rest of the TARDIS, which itself was making no noise. "Doctor?" Her voice echoed, but no one replied. "Doctor!" Still nothing. She started to cautiously approach the doors. Through the windows she could see light flickering. Where was the Doctor? Was he outside? Perhaps he'd thought it best to give her some space...

Donna opened the door warily and peeked outside. Wherever she was, it wasn't clean. The walls were made of large grey bricks, and it was too dark to see the floor. The light was coming from a lantern dangling from the ceiling. She jumped a few times, trying to reach it, but to no avail. Instead, she turned her eyes to the corridor ahead. There was a window at the end of it, a small table and two chairs. A set of footsteps protruded through the dust and headed over to the table before veering left. Donna stood, unsure of what to do. "My name is... Daniel." Her ears pricked and she turned to the right. Daniel? There was a person in a room to her right. The wooden door was slightly ajar, and more light was filtering onto the carpet. "I live in... Mayfair." Was something wrong with them?

Donna didn't know what to do. Talk to the person or follow the footsteps that had clearly started from inside the TARDIS? She stood where she was, unsure for a few seconds before finally deciding to follow where the Doctor had gone. She could still hear 'Daniel' muttering to himself when she walked past. It was a bit disturbing. She felt like she was inside a medieval castle as she opened the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall on the left. It creaked loudly and grated on the stone floor. What lay beyond was blackness. Complete blackness. There was no way she was going in there. She turned to leave, but saw a shadow creeping along the wall. It looked like it belonged to a person, but their back was hunched and they walked with a strange limp. A moaning grew louder as the shadow approached. She darted inside the black room and closed the door behind her, leaning her back against it, breathing heavily. Whatever it was, it stopped right outside the door and she held her breath, squeezing her eyes shut.

After a few agonizing seconds, the creature must have gotten bored and walked off. Daniel had stopped his murmuring, which was both a good and a bad thing. Donna opened the door again and peeked out. The creature was nowhere to be found, so she hurried back to the TARDIS. The lights were still dull and everything seemed to have a grey tint, but it was better than outside. There was a bang on the door and she swung around. That wouldn't have been the Doctor. Another bang. The wood splintered. That wasn't possible. Donna stared to back away as the doors burst in and something hideous screeched at her.

Donna screamed and sat up, her surroundings coming into focus. She was back in her bedroom. It had been a dream. She yanked her door open and ran in the direction of the control room. She had to see. She had to be sure. She was flooded by bright, orange light. The TARDIS was humming and swaying, and the Doctor was sitting in the chair still. It looked as if he hadn't moved at all. Donna ran over to him, and felt the stupid tears returning. He glanced up at her approach and must have seen something in her expression, because he stood up and let her hug him wordlessly. "I'm sorry…" He finally whispered. Donna shook her head. "It wasn't your fault,"  
"But-"  
"I was being rude, and then I got emotional and acted stupid. I had a nightmare. T-this thing killed you. I-I can't lose you again," she knew she was being stupid and emotional, but she didn't care. "Donna, you know I'd-…" The Doctor didn't need to finish his sentence.

The Doctor returned to piloting the TARDIS silently. He looked pensive as Donna watched him quietly, deep in thought. What was he going to say? She watched him as he piloted his trusty machine. She could see he wasn't enthusiastic. "Are we going somewhere in particular?" He turned to her slightly."Yes,"  
"Where?" He smiled mischievously. "That would ruin the surprise,"  
"I don't like surprises,"  
"Well, too bad." Donna rolled her eyes as the TARDIS rocked gently.

* * *

"The Shyre Estate." Donna stared up at the massive building looming before her as she only half-listened to the Doctor. "It's famous around these parts, do you know why?" Was it the massive, intricate fountain nestled in a ring of thick ferns surrounded, or was it the large pencil-pines rising up to meet the second story windows of the largest and most glorious mansion she'd ever seen, or the gardens surrounding the perimeter full of roses and tulips and many other beautiful plants she didn't even know existed? Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "It burnt down." This broke her out of her awed haze. "It what?"  
"Oh, it would have been about two-hundred years ago – I think – when someone set this place on fire, all of it burnt, there were barely any charred remains left… But they rebuilt it not two years later – keeping its layout exactly the same – and returned it to all of its glorious beauty. It's a tourist attraction now,"  
"So no one lives there?"  
"Only the caretaker," he leaned closer as a group of people walked past, chatting excitedly. "Rumour has it, it's haunted."

The reception hall was a large room, the walls decked with paintings of aristocratic men and women, and large – although seemingly delicate – chandeliers adorned the ceiling. It was warmer inside than outside, and both the Doctor and Donna had ditched their jackets, Donna quite glad for the warmth. They were not the only occupants; many other groups of people were wondering around and inspecting the pictures and plants, some clutching at maps, others were taking photos with cameras or phones. There was a reception desk in a far corner with a girl – she looked to be in her early twenties – texting on her phone, looking bored. The Doctor veered off towards a deserted corner of the room, and Donna followed dutifully. "Do you want to do the tour?" He asked eagerly. "The inspection tour?"  
"No," he grinned cheekily. "The ghost tour,"  
"No way," she threw her hands up in the air for emphasis. "Come on, it'll be f-"  
"Don't you dare say 'fun', I am not walking around this place in the middle of the night with randoms and a guide telling creepy stories,"  
"You're not scared are you?" He sounded teasing. "No… Fine." He grinned manically and then took her hand and dragged her towards the front desk.

"Two tickets for the ghost tour please." The receptionist glanced up at them, the bored expression suddenly disappearing as her eyes raked over the Doctor, who was now leaning on the desk expectantly. Donna felt herself starting to frown at her reaction. Why couldn't she just give them the damn tickets already? Or was keeping her eyes to herself really that difficult? "Sure," she gave him a flirty smile and took two tickets out of a small compartment underneath the desk. "That'll be $30 please."He fished around in his pocket and pulled out the psychic paper without trying to look formal in any way, flashing it at her before pocketing it again. "Oh, $24 then." He grinned and she blushed as he took out the money and handed it over. "Come on Donna," he stated, "We've got some exploring to do."

They were now out in the entry hall, which was long and narrow, with lots of closed doors. Many of them were roped off, with little signs saying 'NO ACCESS'. Out of the eleven of them, only the two closest ones were not roped off. It was 9:30pm, and the tour was due to start at 9:45. The Doctor and Donna were on a wooden park bench, which was for some reason inside the building instead of outside. Beside it was a small wooden stool. A candle sat atop it, beside a vase of flowers that cast an eerie shadow in the pitiful light it gave off. A while earlier – when deep orange and red light still filtered through the only window behind them – the Doctor had stated that he was tired, and Donna had told him to lie down and that he could rest his head on her lap. At first he' been very against the idea, but had given in and was now, for all she knew, asleep.

Donna herself was starting to feel drowsy, and she could feel her eyelids drooping. The door opposite – the one leading to reception – was flung open with a flourish and the Doctor was suddenly sitting bolt upright, with an expression reminiscent to a toddler being caught doing something they shouldn't. In walked a middle-aged man with a torch and a large group of tourists. He noticed Donna and the Doctor and laughed heartily. "I knew I was missing two people," he stuck his hand out and the Doctor shook it, Donna copying. "Name's Doug, I'm going to be your tour guide tonight,"  
"Ah, I'm the Doctor and this is Donna," he waved at Donna, almost hitting her in the face in the process. She frowned at him, but he made no attempt to look at is he'd noticed.

Doug slung off his backpack and started to empty its contents onto the rich, deep blue carpet. Out poured twenty identical torches and maps. "Alright, everyone take a torch and a map and we'll get started." Everyone did as they were told, flicking their torches on an illuminating sections of wall, floor and ceiling. Doug then started down the corridor, the band of tourists following. Donna and the Doctor quickly fell to the back as Doug started to talk about the mansion's history.

They walked along twisting corridors, but there was no sign of 'paranormal activity' until they reached a hallway that was pitch black. Their torches made barely any difference, and some were clearly afraid to enter. "Don't worry people, you're completely safe." Doug laughed again before continuing on. The group was wary at first, but eventually eased up. The torches did little to penetrate the darkness until they entered a large room. There was a wall-sized window letting the moonlight flood into the massive room. Marble pillars rose up and faded into the blackness of the ceiling, the tiled floor depicted mosaic people dancing and a piano sat at the far end of the room, it too was almost concealed by the shadows.

Once everyone was inside, the piano slammed shut, seemingly by itself, sending dust into the air. A few people screamed, others had been recording at the time and marvelled at their excellent paranormal capture. The Doctor didn't seem fazed; in fact he almost looked bored. Usually that meant he was covering something up. Donna sidled closer to him and whispered. "What is it?" He glanced at her and wordlessly took out his Sonic Screwdriver. It buzzed and spluttered inconsistently and the light flickered. He switched it off and put it back in his pocket before anyone noticed.

He still didn't say anything until they were out in another long corridor with a single chandelier. All the torches began to flicker and once they were working again they noticed the chandelier swaying lazily from side to side. There was another round of torch-flickering and the chandelier had stopped swinging. Doug pocketed his own torch and brought out a large candle lantern, lighting it and continuing on his way. It created a large circle of dim light that surrounded almost the whole group and nearly removed the need for everyone else's torches. They reached another large staircase and Doug stopped, turning to face the group. "Now, anyone can leave now if they want to, your maps will lead you back to the Entrance Hall," he traversed the steps, and the group followed with a mixture of wariness and curiousity.

Donna's own curiousity was raging concerning the Doctor's strange behaviour, but she decided not to say anything at that moment. After another range of long, similar halls Doug stopped in front of a very plain door and leaned against it. "This room, folks, is the _real _start of our tour," he patted the door almost affectionately. "People have claimed hearing footsteps from the floor below, seeing a light on in the middle of the night; the list goes on," he paused. "The Shyre Mansion being set alight was an act of murder. Young William Shyre was burnt to death in _this room_, and his body was found the next day. But so was something even the experts have failed to explain. A single photo, not so much as singed, sat upon the blackened remains of the mantelpiece, and for almost 200 hundred years, it has not gathered dust, and if we move it, by the next day it is back on the mantelpiece," he smiled mischievously and then opened the door with a dramatic flourish.

The group was plunged into a completely black, very cold room. As soon they had entered, their torches instantly died, and Doug's lantern blew out. The Doctor took out his Sonic again, but this time it made no noise or light at all. He dropped his voice to barely more than a whisper and leaned close enough for Donna to feel his breath on her neck. "We're not alone…"

* * *

Also, the grey line halfway through the chapter is there as an indicator of a time jump. Just in case you didn't know.  
And yes, the dream was an Amnesia reference.


	4. Haunted

Here we go. A nice longish chapter to make up for the short ones.  
Hope you like it. I also hope the ending doesn't seem too rushed. I was impatient to get it up.

* * *

"Something's watching us." Donna's skin crawled. "And it's interfering with the Sonic Screwdriver." She glanced back at the open door and out into the dark hallway, suspicious and nervous. She shrunk into the Doctor's side, relieved when he didn't complain at her sudden closeness. The rest of the group were oblivious to the danger as they snapped photos. "Doctor?" He leaned closer to her so she could whisper to him. "There's something in the mirror." He turned to stare at her incredulously before following her gaze. They had fallen back, staying near the door, and were the only two who had a direct view into the unsuit. The Doctor seemed surprised to see Donna was right. Barely visible was a reflection in the full-length mirror. It was just a haze in the darkness, but it was clearly there, reflecting nothing.

"Perhaps we should tell them?" The Doctor shook his head. "No, that'll probably scare it off,"  
"Scare _what _off?" He grinned madly and pointed the Screwdriver at the reflection. "I don't know." He replied ominously as he pressed the button. Nothing. "Yep, it's definitely that that's causing the interference." They turned back to the group, who were dispersing around the room and straining to see or hear anything abnormal. The Doctor took a step towards the unsuit, but was stopped by Doug. "Ah, I believe I've forgotten about you two, my greatest apologies." Donna leaned around him, but the mysterious reflection had disappeared. Doug started talking to the Doctor, who was clearly not listening and impatient to do some investigating, but not rude enough to tell him to shut up.

She sighed and headed back towards the door, noticing that her torch started flickering again when she got closer to it. Once she crossed the threshold she instantly felt warmer, and relished in the little bit of heat. Her torch continued to flicker though. She was about to just leave when her toe knocked something on the ground and she glanced down to see a small object. She pointed the torch at it, but she couldn't get a good view, so she picked it up and investigated it closely. It appeared to be a small bobbin wrapped in deep red silk. "Hello?" She called into the darkness. Had someone else joined them after entering the room? She poked her head back inside. Nope. No one new.

She spun around again and walked a few steps back outside, but her touch didn't start flickering again. It remained dead, giving her no light at all. "Hello?" She called again. Again there was no response. She frowned and started slowly, cautiously walking down the hall. Both the cold and the light had left. She felt completely alone walking over to a large, dusty window and gazing out at the forest that lay beyond. It was getting colder again. She sucked in a shaky breath and held it. She could see the shadow-y reflection in the glass of the window. It shifted, warped, as if it wasn't really there, and then got closer. As it got closer, it got colder. She was starting to shiver. She gripped the bobbin so tight her hand stung and drips of blood started to make her palm slick. Still she stood exactly where she was as the shadow warped and then got even closer. She could feel its presence only a few feet behind her.

"Donna!" The reflection disappeared, there was no other way she could describe it – it was there and then it was wasn't – and the warmth returned. Her torch spluttered and then flicked on, the glare on the window blinding her as she spun around and saw the Doctor approaching. He seemed surprised when his own touch flickered into life, and proceeded to stare at it before Sonicing it curiously. "I was right Donna, but whatever this thing is, it's not only affecting the Sonic, but any electronic device." She was still gripping the bobbin tightly, and released it. The sharp plastic clattered onto the wooden floor, tainted a pinkish-red by the blood also dripping from her hand. He looked down and saw the blood. "Donna! Are you alright?" He darted over and took her hand in his, tipping it this way and that. "The-the thing, it was right there, it was right behind me, I could feel it,"  
"What happened to your hand?" He asked, ignoring her statement as started rummaging in his pockets. "I was holding it too tightly." He sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling out a strip of gauze and proceeding to wrap it around her hand carefully. "Since when do you have bandages in your pocket?"  
"Since whenever I put them in there," he replied.

He then turned his attention to the bobbin slowly rolling away, crouching beside it and picking it up delicately. He brought it into the torchlight. "Whose is it?" He asked, getting to his feet. "I don't know, I just found it outside." He made a strange face and watched the blood drip from it onto the floor. "Hey." Donna tapped his arm and motioned to further down the hall with her torch. "There's another over there." He turned around and followed her torch. "Maybe it's this mystery creature," he said, jogging over to it. "Maybe we should go back with the group." Donna whispered as she caught up with him. "Nah, this is much more fun." This new bobbin was a rich blue velvet, and was much larger than the first.

As he picked up this second bobbin, he suddenly cried out and dropped it, pulling his hand away as if he'd been stung. "Are you alright?" He shook his hand frantically. "Don't touch it,"  
"Why, has it hurt you?" She took his hand – almost laughing at how their roles were now reversed – and saw that it was already going a nice shade of reddish-purple. "It's very cold." Cold enough to cause bruising? "It must have come straight out of a freezer,"  
"One, freezes can't make things that cold, and two, there are no freezers here," he hissed in pain and put his hand in his pocket. "Shouldn't you-"  
"No time, let's see what this mystery creature wants yeah?" The Doctor took a step towards the awaiting door.

"I advise not wandering off on your own unless you are heading back to the reception hall." They both spun around to see Doug and a group of people. "Oh, we were just-"  
"My dear!" He interrupted. "What happened to your hand?" Donna shoved her hand into her pocket, mimicking the Doctor. "Nothing, it's fine," she glanced at the floor as everyone's torches started flickering again. "You two disappeared, I was worried something had happened." Donna almost believed him, but his eyes betrayed his concerned tone. Her torch banged and the light went out in a shower of sparks. She quickly dropped it and the Doctor swung his around frantically. The beam of light pierced nothing but dust and shadows.

He waited a few seconds, tense and wary, before relaxing. By now the rest of the group had wandered out to see what the commotion was. "Perhaps we should return to the room?" Doug asked, waving at the still open door. "Um, no, actually... I'm going to just look around." Donna said, throwing her useless torch at the Doctor and walking off. She knew that most of the doors, even on the third floor, were roped off and forbidden, so she was surprised to see one with the rope pushed to the side and the door ajar half way down the hall. She glanced back, but everyone had returned to the room and were filing inside except for the Doctor, who was watching her curiously.

She turned away and carefully slipped around the rope, pressing against the door. It was barricaded from the inside, so she shoved on it harder. It grated noisily across the floor and sent dust into the air. She coughed and waved it away, only coughing more when she accidently inhaled a mouthful of it. The room looked much different from the one they had previously been inside. "Hello, who's there?" She walked further into the room, knowing full well that the door had been closed last time she saw it. Someone was definitely inside. The room was bare of any furniture, and the wall opposite was just glass, looking out over a vast expanse of woodland. She turned left slowly; tiptoeing into what she presumed was once a walkin wardrobe.

She heard a door slam, and headed back out into the main room to see the door she'd entered through had closed. She followed opened it, her curiousity overriding her wariness. The corridor was empty, as she had expected, but something breathed behind her. She spun around, but it was still empty. There had definitely been a person. Perhaps they'd gone down the stairs? They probably thought she'd get them in trouble. She continued on until she got to the very steep stairs, gripping the railing and leaning over. "You shouldn't walk off without any source of light all on your own." She gasped and spun around. Doug was there, holding up his lantern and smiling in a way she didn't like. "You could get lost... You could fall down the stairs... Anything could happen in a place this big." She stumbled back, away from him, but hit a wall.

She froze. There _was_no wall, only the stairs, but she'd definitely walked into something behind her. A solid mass, sending shivers up her spine. She felt a pressure on her arms, pushing her forwards, like icy fingers coaxing her into the unknown. Goosebumps were rising on her arms. She felt as if she'd walked into a snow storm, without the snow. Doug's lantern blew out and he cursed, rummaging in his pockets. The chandelier was swinging again. She took a deep breath, and it felt like she was swallowing glass, cold and sharp and unforgiving. "Damn thing." Doug muttered, throwing the lantern away carelessly. She pushed back against the wall, but it didn't give. "Well, now that we're here all on our own," he stepped towards her, and she pressed against the wall with more force, but it only pushed here forwards more roughly. Whatever it was, it certainly didn't want her falling down the stairs, but she didn't want Doug any closer.

Something brushed her neck. A warm rush of air. A breath. She resisted the urge to shiver again. "Imagine the commotion; young woman on ghost tour falls down stairs at Shyre Mansion." She gasped again, the wall pressing closer against her. She skidded forward, the wall following her. "I- He won't let you!" Why had she said that? Who wouldn't let him? "Imagine how much money I'd get for giving away all the juicy details." Had he not heard her? Had she only thought that? "You can't,"  
"Oh, can't I?" He motioned at the wide expanse of empty hall. "There's no one here; they're all busy back at that room, it's just me and you."She swallowed. Why wouldn't the wall, the force, the _thing _let her escape? She glanced behind her out of the corner of her eye. Nothing. There was nothing behind her.

How was she going to get away? She couldn't throw anything at him, she didn't know any self-defence. "H-help!" Doug laughed. "That's not going to work darling, no one can hear you." He laughed again. The word 'darling' was the only one that had registered. She tried to struggle against the thing holding her in place, but it shoved on the base of her spine roughly, sending her careering forward. Doug's smile dropped. "What are you doing?" Doug asked. "I don't know." She replied, realising she'd fallen to her knees on the plush carpet. The wall had gone, the force pushing her away from the dangerous drop. She gasped in deep breaths of fresh, icy air that no longer grated forcefully down her throat. "Get off the floor so you can die with dignity." Doug snapped, but she found she couldn't move again. The wall, more like a pressure on her back now, as if something was holding her down, returned.

Donna could feel herself shaking. Doug sneered at her and reached into his pockets. ... _Don't move... _She tried to stop the shaking. Was someone speaking to her? She'd definitely heard a voice. A male voice, but it hadn't been Doug, who was still rummaging, or the Doctor, who was nowhere to be seen. The pressure left again, but she did as she was told and stayed still. She didn't realize she'd closed her eyes until she opened them again. Doug had a knife drawn and was pointing it at her. "Now, be a good girl and fall down the stairs." _... Listen to me... _That voice! "No,"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I'm not talking to you." He stared at Donna, shocked, as she got to her feet.

She didn't exactly know what she was doing, but she didn't want to listen to a disembodied voice. "I'm not going to listen to either of you." Doug recoiled, staring at her as if she'd gone mad. Perhaps she had. She laughed at the sheer irony of her next thought. 'It looks like he's seen a ghost'. There was a snarling sound close by. She was going mad. Hearing voices and feeling invisible walls. "And I'm not just gonna let you kill me either." Doug laughed. "Oh, how are you going stop me?" She glanced around, desperate, only to see the chandelier swinging violently from side to side. Doug was standing underneath it. The flimsy metal creaked loudly. It was going to fall. Panicking, Donna stepped back, only to remember the stairs too late.

Her whole body hurt. "...Nna... Donna!" Was that the Doctor? Something semi-soft moved her slightly, and the pain roared. She groaned, and the movement quickly stopped. "Donna, can you hear me?" She opened her eyes to see she was lying across the Doctor's lap, and he was propping her into a half-sitting position, his arms around her shoulders. He looked very concerned. "You're gonna be alright, there's an ambulance on the way,"  
"W-what happened?"  
"You fell down the stairs." Donna closed her eyes again and leaned her head on the Doctor's shoulder. He didn't complain. "...Ow,"  
"Donna, tell me what hurts,"  
"Everything," she mumbled into his shirt. She could almost sense him rolling his eyes. "Anywhere in particular?"  
"Chest, arm, hand." She felt the Doctor gently take her wrist, and she tried not to wince. He ran his hand up her arm, and she attempted to pull away at the wave of pain. "I'm just seeing if it's broken Donna." She took a deep breath and tried to relax as he started probing her arm again, keeping one hand on her wrist. Was he checking her pulse? "You've broken both your Radius and your Ulna, but your hand bones have only been bruised,"  
"Speak English,"  
"You've broken your arm,"  
"Thank you."

Donna refused to leave the Doctor's side when the ambulance arrived, so he followed her inside and sat beside her on the bed. They'd braced her arm and bandaged her hand – even though the Doctor told them it wasn't broken. She was told she had a concussion and was to stay in the ambulance. She wanted to go back upstairs to figure out why she had fallen, and had attempted several times to escape. The Doctor was practically restraining her. "_Please_?"  
"No, you have to-"  
"I want to find out why I fell,"  
"You don't remember?"  
"No." He frowned. "You're sure?"  
"Yes, I'd know if I knew!" He shrugged and sat back.

There had been a wall. That was about all she could remember. A wall that had stopped her falling. "You can leave now, but I suggest you take it easy." Informed a paramedic passing by. The Doctor jumped down, and Donna eagerly followed. Her lugs buckled and she saw the concrete rapidly approaching, but the Doctor caught her before she could high five it with her face. "Are you sure you're Ok?" The Doctor asked as he helped her stand up again. Donna saw the receptionist who'd been eyeing him before glaring at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." He didn't look like he believed her, but he didn't say anything.

The first thing Donna did was go back upstairs, carefully watching her step. What she saw startled her. The chandelier was roped off with police tape. A twisted human body could just be seen beneath all the glass and metal wiring. Donna blanched and tried not to vomit; turning away as she suddenly remembered everything. She had to keep hold of the banister so she didn't fall. "Donna, are you alright?"  
"I know what happened." The Doctor raised his eyebrows in a silent question. "He tried to kill me." He went rigid, his expression growing a steely edge, but he didn't say anything, so Donna continued. "He tried to make me fall down the stairs and there was a weird voice and the chandelier was swinging and I stepped back and-..." She sunk to the floor, and the Doctor sat beside her, still quiet. "Please say something,"  
"What do you want me to say?"  
"Anything." He sighed and turned his head towards her.

"I should have been there to help you,"  
"Don't you dare pin the blame on yourself,"  
"But it's my fault. If I was there I could have stopped him, I could have..."  
"Could of, would of, should of, it doesn't matter." He didn't reply, he just stared at the chandelier and then picked up a piece of glass, fiddling with it absentmindedly. They were the only people upstairs. It was eerily silent. The Doctor stuck his tongue out thoughtfully and kept fiddling with the glass. Donna found it quite amusing. "What are you thinking about?" Instead of responding, he just gazed down the hall at the door they had wanted to go through earlier. He grinned at Donna, who leapt to her feet in anticipation.

They both crept over to the door and made sure no one was watching before the Doctor slowly turned the handle and pushed the door. It creaked loudly as it swung open. What lay beyond was just darkness. The Doctor stole a torch and headed inside, Donna following a little cautiously. "Ah-ha!" She jumped and whirled around. The Doctor had found another bobbin. "Don't do that!" He grinned and picked it up, ignoring her completely. This new bobbin was a grass-green, and almost glowed in the dark. Once they were both a considerable distance inside, the door shut behind them. The Doctor laughed, but Donna was starting to feel unnerved.

"Maybe we should-"  
"Shh!"  
"Don't 'shh' me!" The Doctor just put a finger on her lips, shh-ing her again. "I heard something,"  
"You hear lots of things,"  
"Donna, shh." She sighed and crossed her arms – wincing at the sudden pain – and did as she was told. It was getting colder again. She could see her breath misting up in front of her. The Doctor stopped and cocked his head, listening intently to something. Donna strained to hear something abnormal. "What is it?"  
"_Shh_!" She sighed as he continued onwards through the dark. Strange shapes loomed up out of the gloom, and they created menacing images. She didn't like being in the dark. She kept thinking about the Vashta Nerada.

The Doctor took out his Sonic Screwdriver and it spluttered a few times. "Whatever that thing is." The Doctor said, slowing down so Donna could catch up. "It's certainly very interested in us,"  
"Why?"  
"I don't know. Why is anything interested in anything?"  
"I don't know,"  
"Exactly." Donna stopped. "That makes no sense." The Doctor shrugged and kept walking, swinging the torch around continuously, piercing only a minute section of shadow. There were desks and chairs everywhere, hiding in the dark. Donna ended up walking into a desk, hitting her shin, and she yelped. The Doctor quickly turned around, obviously expecting some kind of danger. He looked relieved when he realised there was none.

They continued on through the dark, getting further and further away from the door they had entered through. Something crashed and they both whirled around to see an ink well on the floor, smashed, a growing puddle of ink surrounding it. A floorboard creaked. Again, they turned suddenly, the light from the torch showing nothing. If only they had some other source of light. Donna gazed out of a window when they past it. It was covered in dust, cobwebs and grime, but she could still see out. Something pulled her hair. She screamed and spun around. The Doctor suddenly jerked his arm back, as if something had grabbed him. "I think we should get out of her." Donna stated, her voice shaking. The Doctor only moved the torch slowly in response. Her eyes followed the beam of light until it rested upon another set of stairs. "Onwards?" The Doctor asked, facing her while the torch remained pointing at the stairs. Another floorboard creaked, but one above their heads. Dust fell from between the boards.

Donna didn't reply, she only started towards the stairs. The Doctor took that as an indication to follow and shadowed her closely. He suddenly leaned closer and whispered. "Isn't this fun?"  
"No, this is not fun." Donna hissed back angrily, stomping on his foot. He yelped and fell back, keeping a distance behind her. He swung the torch back and forth as they traversed the stairs, illuminating eerie portraits hung upon the walls. Donna shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. It got a bit lighter when they reached the third floor. There was a set of windows on the right and doors on the left of the long hallway they'd emerged on. There were no turnoffs. Another chandelier on the ceiling was swinging. "Now where?" Donna whispered. She couldn't help but keep quiet, thinking she'd break something if she spoke too loud.

The Doctor didn't reply, he just pointed the torch at the floor. Yet another bobbin sat on the rich, plush carpet. This one was bright yellow. It seemed out of place in the gloomy, eerie mansion. It sat in front of the closest door, so Donna walked over to it slowly and crouched beside it. She poked it anxiously, but nothing happened, so she picked it up and threw it to the Doctor, who caught it and slipped it into his pocket as she opened the door and headed into the room that lay beyond. There was no window, so they only had the torchlight to see. It looked like a study, and a single piece of paper sat on the desk pushed to the side.

The pair walked over and Donna picked it, the Doctor shining the light on it. Written in delicate, intricate handwriting was a riddle:  
Now you see me,  
now you don't.  
You think you'll be alone,  
you know that you won't.  
"Now you see me, now you don't. You think you'll be alone, you know that you won't..." Donna read aloud. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I don't know, but whatever this thing is it certainly likes playing with us doesn't it?" The Doctor froze as soon as soon as he had replied. "Doctor, Doctor what is it?"  
"It's watching us." A shiver went up Donna's spine.

There was only one entrance to the room. She turned slowly, looking out of the corner of her eye. A person was standing in the doorway. They were dark and blurry, shifting and warping, but they were definitely a person. A boy. They smiled and tilted their head before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Why's he playing with us?" Donna asked. "He?"  
"I saw it, it's a he,"  
"Maybe it will tell us later." The Doctor replied before swiftly exiting the room.

Donna followed cautiously. She was really starting to hope he'd just turn around and go back the way they came. "Can we leave now?"  
"You want to leave?"  
"_Yes_!" She was ignored as the Doctor kept walking. She could see trees through the window. Where they overlooking a forest?

It was quite clear that no one had gone where they were for a long time. Why were they being led along like this? Laughter. They spun around. Nothing. Why was he playing with them? Was he that strange voice Donna had heard before she fell down the stairs? She was shivering again. She was reminded of her hand, and put it in the light. It had stopped bleeding, but the cut was clearly visible. She then took the Doctor's hand and gazed at the bruises on it. He didn't complain or indicate he was in pain. After a few seconds he took his hand away and opened another door. This room was empty except for a full-length mirror in the far corner. He stared at it uneasily for some reason.

Donna leaned around him, as he hadn't physically entered the room, and followed his gaze. There was a little girl in the mirror, peeking around the Doctor's reflection, just like Donna. She stared at the little girl, blinked, and then she was gone. The Doctor seemed reluctant to move, so she went around him. There didn't appear to be anything else besides the mirror until Donna looked behind it. Another piece of paper sat there.  
Curiousity killed the cat.  
There was the sound of shattering glass. A bang. The light went out.


	5. The Secrets They Keep (Preview)

I know I'm making you guys wait, but I've been busy with other stories and lack of inspiration and I've also been making a video that I might put up on Youtube. Who knows.  
Anyway, this is a preview of this chapter.

* * *

Donna screamed and spun around. The Doctor was fiddling with the Sonic Screwdriver, the useless torch slowly rolling away as he tried to get the alien device to work. He waved it around and then bashed it on the wall. Donna took it from his hand. "What is banging it on the wall gonna do?" He frowned, took it back and started walking down the hallway. "Oi!" She quickly darted to his side. He wasn't leaving. He was heading deeper into the darkness. "Why aren't we going away from the unknown possible hostile alien?"  
"Because if it wanted to hurt us, it would have already done so,"  
"You don't know that,"  
"Yes I do." There was no room for further argument.

There was only one door left. Donna took a deep breath as the Doctor turned the handle. Here goes... The room was empty. Just four bare walls and a window. Another note rested on the windowsill. This was starting to get annoying and repetitive. It simply read:  
Hide and Seek  
"What's that supposed to mean?" The Doctor took the note from her and turned it over a few times as she gazed out the window. What lay beyond appeared to be a courtyard of some sort. "I'm guessing we're supposed to go down there." He went back into the hallway and found a trap door right at the end. Donna pulled it open. There were no stairs, just a drop straight down. She glanced up unsurely at the Doctor, and he smiled. "Allons-y?"


	6. Author's Note

I seem to have lost the file I was using for ItA ^^;  
I'm very sorry, but you're gonna have to wait some more until I can either find it, find the backup I put somewhere, or create a new file for it.  
Again, sorry for the wait.


End file.
